this Citi tier ℠ card (See Rates and Fees) is a popular starter card with no annual fees and a good entry point for Citi’s Thanks for the rewards ecosystem.
Pay annual fee Citi Layer Premier® Card (See rates and fees) If you want to boost your trip, it’s worth it. The card offers higher revenue rates in key bonus categories and better access to Citi’s airline transfer partners.
Consider the reasons why you should upgrade from Citi tier to the stratigraphic Prime Minister below.
Earn more reward points thank you
As an unfamiliar card, Citi floor Earn:
- Every 5 o’clock spent on attractions, car rentals and hotels booked through Citi Travel
- Spend 3 points per dollar on electric car charging stations, gas stations, select transport and supermarkets
- Spend 3 points per dollar on qualified self-select category (you can change quarterly)
- Spend 2 points per dollar at a restaurant
but, Prime Minister of the Stratigraphic Offers higher income rates and slightly different bonus categories. They include the following:
- 10 cents per dollar for hotel bookings in attractions, car rentals and hotels booked through Citi Travel
- 3 per dollar for air travel, electric car charging station, purchase of gasoline, hotels (booking outside Citigroup), restaurants and supermarkets
The Prime Minister of the Formation is a travel-centric card. It can be purchased on select Citi Travel, as well as air tickets and hotels booked outside Citi Travel. Frequent travelers may find the Citi tier more meaningful.
Upgrades can also earn bonuses from restaurants up to 3 points per dollar, spending 2 points per dollar, which may add up over the year.
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Related: Should you book a hotel with Citi Travel?
Your thank you are more valuable
By upgrading the Citi class, you can earn more thank you points and unlock better value for your hard-earned points.
Both cards can transfer the thank-you point to Citi’s 22 transfer partners, including high-value options such as American Airlines AADVANTAGE, Qatar Airways Privileges Club and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. this Prime Minister of the Stratigraphic There is a slight advantage; it can pass points to most partners at a 1:1 ratio.
For most partners, the Citi tier can only be transferred at a ratio of 1:0.7. Regardless of the companion you are considering, the stratum card is always a worse transfer ratio than the Strata Premier.
This makes a big difference when considering transferring thousands of points to secure a highly sought-after commercial-grade ticket.
When leveraging the transfer partners of the strata prime minister, you can earn over 1.9 cents per point (based on TPG’s September 2025 valuation). I was always between 4 to 9 cents per point when moving the point to a partner airline for business-grade redemption.
Related: Class, Prime Minister or Elite: How to Choose a Citi Class Credit Card
More valuable benefits
Even if there is an annual fee of $95, Prime Minister of the Stratigraphic Provides additional benefits that help to make it reasonable for each year. Two important benefits you can maximize are:
- $100 Annual Hotel Credit: Single-time hotel reservations of USD 100 per year are USD 500 or more (excluding taxes and fees)
- World Elite Mastercard Welfare: The Prime Minister of Citigroup offers several travel-related allowances, including a $5 monthly Lyft credit after three rides in the calendar month (quotation terminates on January 31, 2026), a three-month Instacart+ trial for a three-month trial and received a new subscription + $10 subscription and $10 discount, your second qualifying InstaCart purchase of the second qualifying InstaCart purchase of the month (offer January 31, for your list of available for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use, for your use. Free breakfast and room upgrades (available)
Since the stratigraphy Prime Minister is more advanced than the Citi tier, you can also visit Citi-curated hotel collections and receive Elitelike benefits when booking through Citi travel.
As a stratigraphic cardholder, you will receive the following travel protection:
- Car rental coverage
- Lost or damaged luggage protection
- Travel Cancellation and Interrupt Insurance
- Trip delay coverage
This is more comprehensive coverage than you get from the feed strata cards you can’t do.
Related: Citi’s Hotel Collection and Reserve: Free Breakfast and Quality Allowances
Consider applying instead of upgrading
If you really want to maximize your points, please consider applying Prime Minister of the Stratigraphic Instead of upgrading from the Citi tier card.
For beginners, new class Prime Minister cardholders earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of opening. According to TPG’s valuation, the welcome offer is worth $1,140.
If you upgrade your Citi Layer Card, you won’t get a welcome offer. If you have received a new account bonus for the Citi Prime Minister or Citigroup General Account over the past 48 months, the welcome bonus for the card is also not available.
If you convert another Citi credit card account to you that you have received a new account bonus in the past 48 months, you will also not be able to make money.
As long as you qualify for a welcome bonus from Strata Premier, it is worth considering whether to apply for the card better than passing the upgrade.
By retaining the stratum card instead of upgrading the stratum card, you can use stratum and stratum together to maximize points in more categories.
For example, you can purchase selected transit and qualified self-selected categories on the Citi tier, as well as all other travel and restaurant purchases on the tier.
Bottom line
The potential of benefits and income Prime Minister of the Stratigraphic Compared to Citi tier cards, it is likely to exceed the cost of the annual fee and have better long-term value.
Generally, the best benefit you will get is the ability to transfer points to most partners in a 1:1 ratio and a travel-centric bonus category.
Evaluate what is in your wallet to make sure you always get the maximum, which could mean that the upgrade is coming soon.
To learn more, read our full review of the Citibank and the Prime Minister.
Apply here: Prime Minister of the Stratigraphic
